jvmitche

http://www.luxurymotorworks.com/luxlink_remote_start.php I'm come close to purchasing this one.

If you don't have heated seats, look into the area where the switches are. As far as location, I couldn't advise you MORE against putting it on the floor. I have mine in the switch area and it's already too low in a way. I was convinced it didn't matter also, that I just "wouldn't look at it". Well, turns out the Sirius is so good that I'm always playing with and checking out all the offerings -- and I know I'm definitely tempting fate by looking down that far for that long. You're of course welcome to do whatever, just don't run into my RX or run me over when I'm crossing the street please. :D

I don't want to deal with the price issue. But I own a '99 AWD with 115K, which is basically the PRIME CANDIDATE for a bad tranny. I just do everything I can to take it easy on the tranny, no rolling reverse-to-drive gear changes, no sports car driving. There are ZERO early indicators that my transmission is failing -- trust me, I keep a paranoid like watch for them. Plus, I think the tranny issues (the ones that existed) of those issues were gone by 2002. Am I wrong? From what I read, the vast majority of these vehicles were fine and will be fine. I'm sure some will disagree, but I've been reading posts here and all over for a while. I even purchased the vehicle with the knowledge that a few '99 transmissions have been bad. I think I even test drove one that looking back and comparing it to mine, something was big time wrong. The issue exists, but it's something I'm at least willing to gamble on because the positives of the vehicle are just so good. When you speak of repairs, many things can be done yourself. I've replaced things like the washer fluid pump, antenna mast, installed a trailer wiring brain -- each time saving hundreds in labor costs. With a website like this, it makes it so much easier to do those repairs. It's really an invaluable resource. Most people won't believe me that my car has 115K til I show them the odometer -- I bought it at 90K! Interior and exterior is still holding up fine. This car your discussing has a fraction of the mileage, so you know you're in for a nice long life.

Here's a couple pics of my Sirius radio install. This is the Starbase Universal FM Modulator model with a small head unit on the dash where the heated seat controls would normally reside (thank god I don't have that feature). Remember, there's also a SiriusConnect tuner located inside the dash as well, connected to the antenna that is roof mounted. It uses a direct connect into to antenna jack of the stereo to eliminate any fluctuations of signal. I'd love to go direct into the RX stereo, but it just wasn't going to happen without some major mods. This was a professional install (done by a smaller shop, not Best Buy or anything) that only cost about $100 in labor and prevented me from spending a weekend cursing. So unfortunately, I don't have a ton of detailed installed photos. But for those of you wanting a smaller head unit that has a very stock look, consider this placement. I discussed internal antenna placement with the installers, but they advised against it -- however, I have friends who've done internal antennas with no problems. They did do an excellent job placing the antenna and routing the wire down the windshield groove (please excuse the February grime). I ended up loving Sirius so much, I bought another unit and boombox to use anywhere. Good luck, once you go Satellite, you'll never go back.

http://www.lexus-parts.com or http://www.lexuspartsmall.com/ I've had great luck with both. They're quick with price quotes and reasonable with shipping. The second one is actually a Milwaukee Lexus Dealer with an online presence.

Well, I think some of this might have to do with what particular year RX we're talking about. Mine was a 1999 and I definitely DID NOT have the Lexus tow package, so it was a simple matter. I guess I would do two things. You could call the Lexus dealer and give them the specs on your vehicle and ask them what you need. I'm fairly certain you do NOT need the brainbox/controller, otherwise what is the point of the towing package if you can't tow without adding a $200 item? Also, open up your trunk, lift the rear floor, take the spare tire out, and take out those plastic storage bins that are under the floor. Then see if you can trace the cord that eventually terminates in the grey connector. It might lead you to the controller box itself. Here are a couple of pics of the lighting controller. Mikey, I'm not sure quite what you're saying -- since I found pretty much the opposite when I did all my research. I think the different model years combined with the fact that many people put not factory hitches on their cars makes it confusing. I will say this, if you have a grey connector underneath that plastic cover, and it gets voltage with a voltimeter when you use the rear lights, you definitely DO NOT need the controller.

You got it. That grey socket is the wiring harness connector. I assumed you had the part before, but you may need to buy it still. It's basically a harness of wires that on one end has the grey socket connector, and on the other end has a female standard trailer wiring connector. So, once installed, you have a grey socket, a connector into the grey socket, and a wire running back toward the actual hitch. THEN you attach your trailer wiring to that wiring harness female connector. If you have a standard Lexus hitch, there will be two mounting/threaded holes on the hitch itself. Those two holes allow you to attach the wiring harness bracket that comes with the oem wiring harness to the hitch to complete the install. My point was I have a non-standard hitch, so I had to drill to holes and use a tap-and-die set to thread the holes and mount my bracket. Here are a couple pics, I think it will help illustrate it. You'll note my grey connector doesn't really make it all the way under the plastic cover. That's because I had to route it there myself from the inside of the vehicle (when I installed the controller box), through that rubber gasket. Looks to me like I'll need to re-wrap some of my cables with some better adhesive tape -- the black electrical tape isn't cutting it!

Hi Tealboy, That rectangular plastic box is the plastic cover I was referring to. You'll have to remove that box to get to that white tow connector/socket. If I recall I just used a ratchet with the appropriate size socket -- it came off very easily and simply (just don't lose the screws!) You're right though, it's right next to the gas tank and filler line. Once you get that cover off, you should see a square/rectangular like socket with (I believe) 4 holes in it -- of course it might be covered with a gasket or something to keep the weather out. That is the connector that runs to the controller and brainbox inside the vehicle. You attach the wiring harness (ie: the thing that mounts to the hitch itself, the thing you plug the trailer into) to that white/square plug. Then just route the harness toward the hitch, use some zip-ties to keep it all secure. The Lexus/Toyota factory hitch has premade holes for mounting it to the hitch. I have a non-standard hitch, so I drilled two holed and tapped them. It looks and works great! Let me know if you need some pics, I could take a few this evening/tomorrow and show you what I'm talking about. I'm very passionate about this because I spent so much time trying to get the wiring system installed. I also know how many people use the search function on these forums -- hopefully someone will benefit from this again in the future. Not to mention, I've taken a lot of info from this site -- it's time to give back.

I did some searching through my emails, the exact part number for a 1999 Lexus RX300 Lexus/Toyota Trailer Wiring Harness/Controller is: 0892148051 I also see earlier this year I got a price quote of $109 from www.lexus-parts.com. Hope this helps!

Well, I'd hesitate to make blanket assumptions about everyone's towing. I have a 500lb 17ft sailboat that puts very little stress on my '99 AWD RX. However, that's not to say there's no towing issues AT ALL with the RX. I tow a 18ft Bayliner Runabout a few times a year, but do so very gingerly. I know very well that my transmission is a delicate flower, so I try to excessively careful when towing AND when NOT towing. As far as the wiring harness issue goes for the RX, I lived this one and will help summarize here. The posts on this board are helpful, but very scattered and sometimes innacurate about this particular issue. The RX either came with the towing package or not. If you have the towing package, you can just buy a little wiring harness that attaches underneath the vehicle. If you do not have that towing package, you'll have to purchase the brainbox/lighting controller AND wiring harness. 1) How to tell if you have the towing package? Get underneath the car and look for a rounded plastic cover that sits near the driver-side rear wheel and straight down from about where the fuel door is. Underneath that plastic cover you'll see a bunch of wires all wrapped up very tighty and a rubber gasket -- this is the entry/exit point into the vehicle for wires. If you see a square white plug (ie: something you could plug a wiring harness into) dangling underneath that plastic cover someplace... CONGRATULATIONS, you have the towing package. That means you can buy the $20 harness hook it to that white plug and start towing. If not, sorry, you're going to have buy the toyota brainbox/controller and install it. 2) If you know for certain you need the brainbox, call your local Lexus dealer and ask for the Wiring Harness and Controller for your particular model year RX. I know when I called they mentioned they've switched some of the part numbers around recently, so rather than give you inaccurate information, I'll just recommend you do what I did. Once you have that information, you can go online or call around. I think the Lexus dealer quoted me $180 or so for the part -- I ended up paying about $140 from www.lexuspartsmall.com in Milwaukee. I was originally concerned about installing the part myself, but once it arrived and I saw the very detailed installation manual I knew I was OK. Quick summary, the brainbox mounts in the trunk below the spare tire, taps into the large cluster/trunk of wiring that comes from the front of the vehicle, then also taps into each side of the rear lights. It sounds worse than it really is -- there is no cutting/splicing or anything like that -- it's all pretty simple. Taking apart some of the interior panels to access the wiring can be a bit tricky, but the manual included with the part covered the order and how to remove everything. From the newly mounted brainbox, the wire with the white plug goes down through that rubber gasket and sits underneath that plastic cover. From there you take the wiring harness and plug it into that white socket and then mount the connector on the hitch. I had a non-standard hitch, so I had to drill and tap a couple holes....but it worked great. One note -- I know there are non-OEM parts that get this same result, but I was a little scared. There is a ton of electrical systems in all these newer vehicles and splicing wires and tampering with the system has led to some horror stories. This way of doing it prevents the rest of your electrical system from being damaged if something shorts or goes wrong with your trailer wiring. All in all, it took about 2-3 hours. But I have a feeling the dealer would have charged at least 1.5 hours labor. It was worth it to me, plus I feel like I learned something I can use in the future for working on my RX.

I know here we do have to deal with reformulated gasonline and ethanol added gasoline -- both of which can cause a tad lower mpg, but 4 mpg? I doubt it. However, if you see a strange man driving WAY out of his way to put 100% unleaded in his tank, you'll know it's me. I've also noticed the RX mileage really reacts to the driving style. If you like to coast and keep the RPM steady, I think you can squeeze another 2 mpg. If you like taking off from stoplights and lots of acceleration, you'll probably lose 2 mpg. That's some good info blustu...I think I'll try some of those when the weather turns cold. And ScottRX300 thanks for your thoughts, my wife and are actually planning to relocate to warmer weather climates soon. My RX is originally from Sherman Oaks, CA and I'm sure it would love go home!

Exact same type of driving? Same conditions? Same gas station? There are so many variables and 4 mpg isn't that crazy of a change. Is it possible you didn't fill up your tank all the way last time? I did that once. The only reason my RX300 has dropped from 19-20mpg to 13-14-15mpg was our nasty winter season. For some reason the '99 engine (at least) reacts horribly to cold weather. However, your profile shows lovely Southern California...so that must not be it. Say, any Linux sys admin job openings out there for me to get me outta the cold? ;)

Thanks for the info, I have a maintenance visit scheduled for this week. I will post back what the results were so anyone searching in the future will get some useful info...

I think what you're saying makes sense. I'm guessing winter kicked the crud outta those CV boots. However, shouldn't they make noise when the car is motionless too or manuvering slowly, say in a parking lot? Also, given the summer season is upon us, how long until serious damage is done to those CV joints? I'd venture the guess the sooner the boots are replaced the better for them....

Whenever my '99 RX (105K) is in motion and I execute a turn, no matter if it's sharp or soft, left or right, I hear this rhythmic rubbing crunchy noise from the front wheels. It does not occur if I'm going straight ONLY when turning, left or right, soft or hard. The intensity of the sound does not seem to get worse/better with speed, it's fairly consistent. It seems to be coming from both wheels, but it could obviously be originating from one wheel -- as it's a little hard to tell. I've already been driving around the neighborhood with my head out the window too much as it is and unless my wife volunteers to be strapped to the hood I can't know for sure. It almost sounds metallic, but it's definitely NOT a metallic screeching noise. It's more grindy and static-ky. I have to believe it has something to do with the wheels (and not a pump, etc) because it is rhythmic and the wheels are obviously spinning while in motion and the noise does not occur while stopped. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I had the car Lexus dealer checked (when it was purchased) about 10,000 miles ago and again when I did the big 95K maintenace. At those times I was told the wheels, struts, CV, etc looked excellent for the age and I had about 15K left before it was time to replace the brakes. I've budgeted for a a full brake job late this summer, I'd just like to know what the heck this is and if it might even be dangerous (like a bearing). Thoughts?

Let me second that, I might even be able to find a spot to host that info...maybe not indefinitely....but it's a start...

I was very close to purchasing a higher mileage '99 or '00 rx300, when I learned about the sludge problem. Now I'm feeling paranoid. Is this something that I should seriously consider, ie: maybe not purchase this model? Is there a way that a mechanic inspection could even determine if it's present? I was sure the rx300 was a good choice for me, now I don't what to think. Second question, I met someone selling a '99 rx300 with 100,000 miles. He actually had his engine replaced 2 years ago at 86,000miles with a BRAND NEW one. While it seems like this is an advantage at first, is there anything else this sludge problem affects? Should I just avoid this car? In a way, it makes me feel better knowing the engine does not have the flaw. That said, it makes me apprehensive knowing the engine had to be replaced. He claims to have all service documentation...but.... Thanks for helping a new poster, with any luck, I'll own one soon. Oh, and if anyone wants to purchase my TT roadster, let me know -- I can't stand to trade it to a dealer. ;)